adam serrano

CARSON, Calif. -- A.J. DeLaGarza made a major step forward in his injury recovery by going 90 minutes for LA Galaxy II in their scoreless draw with Real Monarchs SLC on Sunday evening at StubHub Center.

DeLaGarza started in central defense for Los Dos as Galaxy II were rarely tested by the Real Salt Lake affiliate who were playing in their first-ever match.The appearance was DeLaGarza's longest of 2015 as the defender made just a brief cameo for the Galaxy first team in their opening match after missing much of the preseason with a left foot injury.

Although DeLaGarza was rarely tested, the match nearly turned dark for the defender as he appeared to injury his ankle in stoppage time after a late challenge by a Real Monarchs defender.

"90 minutes of time as a center back is probably just 45 minutes fitness wise for an outside back, but I felt fine," said A.J. DeLaGarza. They didn't have many chances in our half where we were running too much. I felt like as a group we were organized and we didn't really allow them anything. At the end of the game, one of their young guys tried to make a play as I was going to clear the ball, and he just ran through my ankle. I honestly thought it popped out, but thankfully nothing bad happened and I just jogged off."

ARENA: “I didn’t like a whole lot on the night. We weren’t very good to be honest with you. We lost too many battles on the night; I think they played harder over 90 minutes than we did. I think that made a difference in the game. We had a chance to win possibly going away if we were a little sharper. We had a mental breakdown on a corner kick. Robbie Rogers loses his man, and it’s a goal. In a game like this where your opponent is sitting back and defending with numbers looking to get at you on the break, or perhaps on a restart, we’ve got to be better than that. To concede a goal shortly after we scored, that’s not good on our part. Just on the night, I don’t think we were sharp, and I give Houston credit. They played real hard.”

(On Mika Vayrynen…)

ARENA: “Well tonight he had 20 minutes; it’s still not enough time. He is a good player, he gets the ball moving quickly, knows how to get his teammates involved in the game. For the most part, he was pretty solid.”

(On Edson Buddle…)

ARENA: “It’s always hard bringing a player in, I believe he came in around the 85 minute. He battled in there. We didn’t get any service to him, but he’ll get more playing time as we move forward.”

(On Leonardo’s play…)

ARENA: “I think he had a solid night. I think [Giles] Barnes is a hard guy to play against, and he was matched up with him a lot during the night and for the most part, did well. He has had a good start to the season for us.”

(On the midfield creating chances…)

ARENA: “I think they did okay. Obviously our passing on the night wasn’t good. I think it’s a tribute to all the lines. I think our back line didn’t pass the ball very well. I think that impacted the ability for the midfielders to have a better impact on the game.”

(On the Dynamo…)

ARENA: “They play well. It’s not surprising that that’s how they play coming on the road, trying to get a point and all of that. Give them credit, they did a good job. We’re still not sharp enough at this point, still not fit enough, no question about that. I think their goalkeeper did a good job, their backline was pretty solid, didn’t let anything get behind them. Overall, on the night I think they defended pretty well.”

(On Jaime Penedo’s performance…)

ARENA: “He did a good job. He wasn’t tested a whole lot. I’d like to see his kicking game a little better, but he wasn’t called on to make a whole lot of saves tonight. It was a quite game in terms of shot blocking. I think he did fine.”

In a video for the website "Funny or Die" World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest, and occassionally referred to as 'The Pandas Friend) gives his selections for the 2015 March Madness Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, and he includes a special shoutout to the five-time MLS Cup champions.

Migraines have been a sporadic ailment for Penedo over the past 10 years, but last Sunday’s game was the first time that the Panamanian had missed out on a match due to the issue. However, it’s not the migraine itself that rendered Penedo unable to play, but the pain medication that the 33-year-old takes that caused him to miss out on the game in Portland.

“I take a medicine to relieve the migraines but the medicine knocks me out. On Sunday, the problem was that I didn’t know if I should or shouldn’t take it [or not],” Penedo said. “I didn’t take it in the beginning and I was hoping an Aleeve would help me with the pain but it didn’t. My head was in pain so I had to take the medication, and 45 minutes later, my migraine was gone, but I felt woozy and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to play. I feel good now though.”

Although Penedo felt some migraine symptoms earlier in the week, the Panamanian says that he has practiced for three days without any lingering effects which could mean that he returns to the starting XI this weekend.

“I feel ready. I trained very well over the last few days, but now I’m ready. I was very disappointed that I couldn’t start; especially considering that Bruce Arena gave me the opportunity but it was taken away due to the migraine. I’m ready and I need to play so I await the coach’s decision.”

“I missed the entire preseason, but I got 60 minutes in a [closed-door scrimmage] against Galaxy II last week," DeLaGarza said. "There’s no better way to get fit then actually playing. Hopefully soon, I can get back out there, and hopefully suffer no setbacks.”

Provided there aren’t any steps backward, DeLaGarza believes that he could be ready to start as soon as this Saturday’s game against the Houston Dynamo.

“I want to get a game in as soon as possible, I want to be out there because this is my livelihood,” DeLaGarza said. “The fun part of this job is playing in competitive matches, and if Bruce calls me up this weekend then I’ll be ready to play.”

The move will be Rugg's second stint with Indy Eleven after making five appearances for the NASL club last Fall. During his time with the club, Rugg notched a goal and an assist while helping the team rack up a five game unbeaten run.

“The 2014 season was undoubtedly an important one for the development of my professional career. I grew a lot playing with LA Galaxy II, but I feel that my short time here in Indy was equally important and a good note to end on,” said Rugg in an Indy Eleven press release. “I'd like to pick up where I left off and use this year to continue to grow as well as help Indy Eleven stand out in the NASL.”

According to Indy Eleven, Rugg began training with the club on Wednesday and will be available once the team opens up the NASL season on April 4 against the Atlanta Silverbacks.

CARSON, Calif. -- Brian Rowe made his second consecutive start when he got the nod in net for the LA Galaxy's 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers on Sunday, but apparently, Bruce Arena was not intending to give the youngster the start initially.

Arena told reporters on Tuesday that he had intended to start 2014 regular starter Jaime Penedo against the Timbers, but the Panamanian goalkeeper was a late scratch.

"Jaime was supposed to start but came down with a migraine before the game so Brian got to play," Arena told reporters. "I think that it was good that Brian got two games in the early on in the season, but Jaime is certainly going to get back in there."

PORTLAND, Ore. – “Character” results are one of the most tried and true sports clichés around, but the LA Galaxy made that narrative a reality with their late 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers on Sunday.

Amid rain and high winds that made the already difficult Providence Park turf pitch even tougher, the Galaxy dominated the match, but still needed to overcome two deficits to steal a point on the road against the Timbers. The final touch came just seconds after Portland pulled ahead in the 90th minute when an Alan Gordon header sealed a draw for the Galaxy.

After the match, Galaxy captain Robbie Keane was not frustrated about missed opportunities, but commending his squad on the grit that they showed.

“We kept battling. I told the lads before the game that we’re probably the best footballing team in the league, or one of, but sometimes you have to show a little bit more than that,” said Keane. “Sometimes you can’t play under difficult circumstances and today was one of those circumstances even though they allowed us to play and we dominated the second half as they dropped off a lot. It’s about battling through and showing some heart. We certainly showed that today.”